School of
Electrical & Computer Engineering1,
Department of Freshman Engineering2,
School of Mechanical Engineering3, School of Civil Engineering4,
School of Consumer and Family Science5, School of Liberal Arts6.

Together the EPICS courses
create a vertical project track under which students work in
teams on long-term engineering projects. Each team consists of a
mix of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors and can have
members from other Schools. Projects are of at least one year
duration. In general, students are expected to participate in a
project team for at least two consecutive semesters. Projects are
intended to solve real problems, and are defined in consultation
with project partners from community agencies.

How service is integrated
into this course:

Students experience design as a
start-to-finish process by defining, designing, building and
deploying real systems to assist a community service organization
on projects that span several semesters. Students learn
management and leadership skills and to work on a team. All EPICS
students have a common weekly lecture. The Spring 2000 lecture/workshop series focused on team leadership and dynamics.
Lecture attendance is required, and failure to attend affects a
students grade. Students on a given project have a common lab
section, write weekly reports, and make mid-semester and final
presentations.